Habitat completed 22 homes in 2012

Christmas arrived early for a Hilltop woman when she and her three children moved into their new home built by Habitat for Humanity.

James Arkin, The Columbus Dispatch

Christmas arrived early for a Hilltop woman when she and her three children moved into their new home built by Habitat for Humanity.

Kourtney Hairston, 28, said she was overwhelmed during the move on Dec. 15. She also was anxious, she said, because her three children hadn’t seen the house and she wasn’t sure how they would react.

“They said they loved it,” Hairston said. “They’ve been playing all over the house. They keep saying they’re excited to have so much room.”

See photos of Hairston's home during construction

Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio built or rehabilitated 22 homes in Columbus in 2012 and is planning on 19 or 20 this year, CEO E.J. Thomas said.

“We have been moving steadily up over the last four or five years,” Thomas said. “We were building six or seven houses eight years ago when I started. We’ve been averaging in the 20-range the last few years.”

Thomas said the new houses will go up throughout the year, in the northern and northeastern areas of the city. Habitat has found that it’s more efficient to build houses in clusters, Thomas said. “You’re going to be cranking out two houses a month, you’ve got to be on your game.”

Three houses are to be built on 15th Avenue in South Linden with a $224,000 grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a nonprofit financial-services organization that has partnered with Habitat for Humanity International since 2005.

Habitat MidOhio has received grants from Thrivent for the past seven years, Thomas said. That will translate into 14 houses by the end of 2013.

“They’ve just done a great job, not only providing funding for the homes but also ... sending volunteers to help build the homes,” he said.

The new residents also work with the volunteers to build the Habitat houses. Hairston said she helped put up walls and install flooring in her Eureka Avenue house.

“It’s exciting for me knowing I put all the hard work that I did into building a home for us,” she said. “I’m proud of myself because I didn’t know I could do as much as I did.”

Though they’ve been there for only a few weeks, Hairston said her family is already settling into their new house.